Dream or Reality
by melissabann
Summary: Miriallia wakes up in a familiar place she hadn't seen in years. How was this possible she thought? How could she be here when here didn't exist anymore. Was this real or could it be a dream?


**Dream or Reality?**

She woke up to the unpleasant sound of her alarm. She slammed her hand down on the snooze button. She always hated the sound of that damn alarm. She slowly opened her eyes. At first things were blurry, then they came into focus. Finally she realized where she was. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was impossible. How could this be. " _When? How? Am I dreaming?"_ She thought to herself as she stood up from the bed.

She looked around the room. It was… but how. She was standing in her dorm room at HeliTech University. A University that was destroyed with the colony. She picked up the cell next to her bed to check the date. Yet more disbelief overtook her. January 25, 71 CE. Today was the day Heliopolis fell. Was it possible she was dreaming that she was reliving the day? Or was the past three years of her life the dream. Looking around the room it felt just as real as anything. So which was it? Dream or Reality.

She was so confused. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her alarm began to buzz again. She walked over and turned it off. She sighed deeply. Dream or not it was time to get ready. She was suppose to meet Tolle right? She thought. She reached in her closet and pulled out her orange dress. It was one of her favorites. It held special meaning to her. It was the dress she wore when she became an EAF soldier… or at least in that dream. In that horrible real feeling dream. She quickly dressed herself and headed downstairs to meet with Tolle.

She share a long conversation with him as they walked to meet Kira. It felt so good to talk to him. It seemed like forever. She wished more than anything for this to be her reality. For him to be alive and not dead like in her dream. She didn't understand. Why couldn't she tell which was which. She was lost in her thoughts.

"Are you okay Miri?" Tolle asked tenderly.

"Ahh… Yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I guess I'm kind of in my own little world today." She said smiling at her boyfriend.

"We should find Kira, the professor wants us to bring him along with us right away."

"Right"

Soon they saw their young friend typing away at his computer like he always did. Mir kept wondering about him. Was Kira really a coordinator or was that all part of the dream? "Kira!" Tolle yelled as they approached. "So this is where you are hanging out. Professor Kato has been trying to get a hold of you"

"What again?"

"He asked us to bring you to him right away" She said. It was strange how it just rolled off her tongue. She felt like she had said it before. In that other world, dream or reality, which ever it was. "Are you assisting him on something else?"

"Too much. I still haven't finished going through the stuff he dumped on me yesterday." It seemed the professor was always giving him extra stuff. Maybe Kira was more than just gifted. Maybe he was a coordinator living among them. Not that it really mattered to her. It just made her sad to think her friend was hiding.

They watched the latest news with Kira. It was scary to think how close ZAFT was to the homeland. She remembered in the other reality she was worried that Orb would be in danger. She even questioned it this time still, especially knowing what she knew of it later being attacked. But Tolle brushed it off still.

"Nah." He said nonchalantly "Oh they're close by but our nation's neutral. Can't see Orb turning into a war zone."

"Are you sure?" She asked. The first time she believed him… but this time she wasn't so sure. Her mind was clouded with memories of Orb being attacked. She didn't really know what was going on with her right now but she couldn't help but be a bit sceptical. "If this war keeps escalating Orb could get pulled into it all. They may not have a choice about stay neutral." She explained.

Tolle looked at her like she had two heads before turning his head toward Kira who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "Kira?" He asked as he put his face right in front of his friend causing him to jump.

"Ahh" He screamed as he flew back into the corner of the seat.

"What is up with you anyway?" He asked. Turned away saying "Lets go"

"Ah yeah sure"

They all walked towards the car terminal. There they would catch a ride to where they would meet Professor Kato. "I'm totally serious it's nothing like that" They heard in the distance. It was Fllay. Another person who Mir had watched die in her other world.

"Yeah?" Said Chloe

"You're lying" Lily said quickly after. "Why don't you come out and admit it"

"I told you" She giggled before noticing the three approaching her. "Huh? Miriallia" she said with excitement.

"Hi" She replied. Fllay… she was so sweet. She could never hurt a fly. Mir started to think more and more that this was reality. In that dream Fllay tried to kill someone. She fired a gun at his head and almost killed him… she almost killed Dearka. Then again was Dearka even real? She didn't know if she wanted the boy to be or not. In her dream she loved him once. He replaced Tolle in her heart after she lost him. He gave her a reason to smile again. But Tolle wasn't dead. He was alive. So maybe this boy didn't really exist. Dearka was just a dream.

"I betcha you know Miriallia" Lily said playfully.

"Know what?" She asked pretending not to know what they were going to ask.

"Come on stop it" Fllay pleaded. Was this really it? Was this what they did. Were these the things they found important in life while the world around them was at war? Lives full of laughs and gossip while others died? Were they really that naive?

"She got a letter from Sai Argyle but she claims nothing is going on" Chloe explained. "And she refuses to dish out anything at all right"

"Would you guys give it a rest" Fllay threatened.

"Ahem" Distracted Tolle and Kira didn't notice they were in a group's way. "If you're not getting in mind if I do?" The woman in front asked.

Miriallia was shocked " _Lieutenant Badgiruel? Arnold Neumann? Jackie Tonomura?"_ she thought. Were these really military personnel? Or were all the soldiers in her dream just people she had run into on the street? Were these just regular people needing to get somewhere important?

"Oh we're sorry. Please" Tolle said stepping aside to let them pass.

"What is the big deal anyways" Fllay yelled at her two friends one the strangers passed. "Lets go"

"Hey wait!" Lily and Chloe yelled running after her. They all continued to talk as they jumped in one of the transporter cars to go shopping. Once out of sight Tolle turned to Kira.

"How about that Sai? He wrote to her."

"Huh?" Kira said faintly.

"To Fllay Allster no less. What total shock and surprise." He threw his arms up in the air landing his hands on Kira's shoulders. "You've got some competition Kira Yamato." He pushed his hands off his shoulders and started to walk away. "Good luck"

Mir couldn't help but laugh. Life was so happy and simple. Not complicated like in the dream reality. "But really I'm not" Kira said as he followed.

It all seemed like deja vu to her. The conversations they had, running into Fllay and her friends giggling and gossiping. Kira's embarrassment when Tolle told him he had competition. Even walking into the classroom seemed to feel the same. Then there was that teenager. The teenager wearing the hat and brown jacket. Could they really be a she? And could she really be Cagalli Yula Athha? How could she dream of a girl she never knew existed. Did that mean this was the dream?

Tolle walked over to Kuzzy. "Who's that?" he asked pointing the mysterious person in the room.

"Oh… Professor's guest. They were apparently told to wait here."

"Really"

"So where's the prof?" Kira asked.

Miriallia didn't pay attention to the boys banter back and forth. She watched the time. She remembered the exact time they we attacked. And she was waiting for it. It seemed so peaceful here. They were living in a neutral nation. Nobody ever expected they would ever be attacked. But if those GUNDAMs were really hidden here then they would be attack right? The minutes ticked by. She knew it wasn't going to be long. If her dream was right ZAFT would attack soon.

She started to feel relieved thinking it wasn't going to happen. Then suddenly it all began. The room shook with such force it nearly knocked her to the ground. "Meteorite?" Sai asked unsure of what just happen. But Mir knew what it really was. Their home was under attack. As the building continued to shake they made their way out. Soon they came across others evacuating and Sai asked "What's this all about?"

Someone quickly answered "I don't know."

While another was more informative "We're under attack by ZAFT. Some of their mobile suits have entered the colony!" Everyone seemed shocked. Everyone that is except Miriallia. To her this was all a distant memory of a horrible event in her life. "You better hurry too!"

Miriallia wanted to follow Kira and that teenager as they ran off in a different direction. But Tolle was guiding her out of the building. She felt so helpless and scared. Feelings she hadn't felt in what seemed like a long time. Battlefields and war didn't faze her anymore. Or at least the girl she was in the dream.

They made their way out into the parking lot. Shots were being fired all around them. Explosions seemed to go off every few seconds. Chaos was engulfing the colony. She looked across what was now a battlefield. There they were. The GUNDAMs. But not just any. Three mobile suits stood. Among them was the BUSTER. They were staring all of them down. Mir got angry seeing them. So angry she started to run towards them. She didn't know what she was doing. All she knew was the thought of Dearka holding a weapon against her killed her inside.

"MIR!" Tolle yelled. "What are you doing" he was about to stop her when an explosion when off between them. She was lost in the smoke and particles. "Miriallia!"

She could hear him screaming for her but she didn't care. Was it possible. Was the pilot of the BUSTER him? The guy who promised to alway protect her. She Finally made it to them and stood in front holding her arms out as if she was tiring to stop them. Angry and determination filled her eyes as she looked up at them. " _What am I doing?"_ She thought to herself. " _Is this crazy? If this really is a dream he'll protect me right? And if it's not… then what the hell is happening to me?"_

"What the hell? Is that civilian really trying to stop us? Are naturals really that stupid?" Yzak said arrogantly.

"She kind of cute" Dearka said slyly. "For a natural. The poor little girl" he said in a mocking tone. "She probably got lost" he joked. They were about to blast of when another piece Heliopolis' structure fell heading straight for Mir. She looked up terrified. Was this it? Was she about to die? Was this reality? Was he just going to let this happen? "Look out!" Dearka yelled. He quickly activated his new GUNDAM and launched forward trying to stop it from hitting the young girl. Luckily he was able to stop the large piece from hitting her. He looked down hoping to see the girl was ok. Instead he saw she was laying there unconscious, blood running down her head. She had been hit but stray debris.

Miriallia slowly started to wake. Her head was killing her. She opened her eyes to see a very unfamiliar room. " _Where am I?_ " She thought as she turned her head. There sitting next to her was a ZAFT soldier where a black uniform. He looked so surprised and relieved to see her. Tears were at the corners of his eyes as he leaped from his seat and rushed to be closer to her.

"Miriallia!" He yelled with his voice cracking slightly. He grabbed a hold of her hand and squeezed it lightly. She squeezed back reassuringly.

"Dearka" She questioned in a hoarse voice. "What happened?"

"You were in an accident. You were on an assignment taking photos of a battlefield. You must have stood on an unstable pile of metal. It fell and took you with it. You hit your head pretty hard. You've been unconscious for a few days"

"I-I thought I was fifeteen again living in Heliopolis." She said have under her breath. It sounded crazy saying it out loud. "It felt so real. I didn't know which was a dream and which was reality"

"The doctor said coma patients can have some pretty vivid dreams… but I promise you Mir this is your reality not a dream" he assured her.

"Wait why are you here?"

"Your parents called me when it happened. I don't think I even had hung up the phone before I was filling out the paperwork to take a leave of absence." He said sadly remembering the horrible call. He started smiling at her "I… I know that things didn't work out between us but that doesn't change things. No matter how many years go by, no matter who we may end up with I'll always love and protect you Miriallia."

"Life is so different now" She said thinking back to her dream… her memories that she had become trapped in.

"If you could choose where would you live?"

"Huh?"

"The dream or reality?"

She looked up and the blonde coordinator. She could tell how much he cared for her. How worried she had made him. "I choose reality… I choose you" She said.

"Mir?"

"I think I get it now… Tolle was my dream. He was the person I spent most of my time with. He was alive in this dream world… but I didn't care so much. I was more worried if you existed. If you were real. The thought of you not existing hurt more then the thought that Tolle was dead. Because it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. The truth is that I will always love you too Dearka. No matter what comes between us"

Dearka smiled and leaned down to kiss her. In that moment she knew for sure that this was not a dream. This was her reality. Dearka Elsman was her reality and the true man of her dreams.


End file.
